AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO FIVE-YEAR CREDIT AGREEMENT
Exhibit 10.1
AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO FIVE-YEAR CREDIT AGREEMENT
AMENDMENT dated as of October 9, 2007 to the Five-Year Credit Agreement dated as of October 21, 2005 (the Agreement) among GENERAL MILLS, INC., a Delaware corporation (the Company), the several financial institutions from time to time party thereto and JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., as Administrative Agent (the Agent).
W I T N E S S E T H :
WHEREAS, the parties hereto desire to amend the Agreement as set forth herein;
NOW, THEREFORE, the parties hereto agree as follows:
SECTION 1. Defined Terms; References. Unless otherwise specifically defined herein, each term used herein which is defined in the Agreement has the meaning assigned to such term in the Agreement. Each reference to hereof, hereunder, herein and hereby and each other similar reference and each reference to this Agreement and each other similar reference contained in the Agreement shall, on and as of the Amendment Effective Date, refer to the Agreement as amended hereby.
SECTION 2. Amendments. (a) The definitions of Material Adverse Effect and Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges in Section 1.01 are amended to read as follows:
Material Adverse Effect means (a) a material adverse change in, or a material adverse effect upon, any of the operations, business, properties or condition (financial or otherwise) of the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole; (b) a material impairment of the ability of the Company to perform under any Loan Document and avoid any Event of Default; or (c) a material adverse effect upon the legality, validity, binding effect or enforceability of any Loan Document.
Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges means the Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges as reported by the Company in its most recent Form 10-K Annual Report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission or in its most recent officers certificate delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(c), provided that the components of the numerator and denominator of such ratio are computed in each such filing or certificate in the same manner as computed in the Companys Form 10-K Annual Report for the period ended May 27, 2007. For purposes of computing this ratio, earnings represent earnings before income taxes and after-tax
earnings of joint ventures, distributed income of equity investees, fixed charges, and amortization of capitalized interest, net of interest capitalized. Fixed charges represent gross interest expense (excluding interest on taxes) and subsidiary preferred distributions to minority interest holders, plus one-third (the proportion deemed representative of the interest factor) of rent expense.
| (b) | The last sentence of Section 5.10 is amended to read as follows: |
Except as disclosed in the Companys annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended May 27, 2007, there is no tax assessment against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries which, if sustained, would have a Material Adverse Effect.
| (c) | The last sentence of Section 6.01 is amended to read as follows: |
Any financial statement or report required to be delivered pursuant to this Section 6.01 or Section 6.02(b) shall be deemed to have been delivered on the date on which the Company posts such financial statement on its website on the Internet at www.generalmills.com or when such financial statement is posted on the SECs website on the Internet at www.sec.gov; provided that the Company shall give notice of any such posting to the Administrative Agent (who shall then give notice of any such posting to the Banks); provided, further, that the Company shall deliver paper copies of any delivery referred to in this Section 6.01 to the Administrative Agent if the Administrative Agent requests the Company to deliver such paper copies until notice to cease delivering such paper copies is given by the Administrative Agent.
| (d) | The second sentence of Section 7.06 is amended to read as follows: |
The Company shall compute its Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges in the same manner as computed in the Companys Form 10-K Annual Report for the period ended May 27, 2007 and shall report such ratio to the Administrative Agent on a quarterly basis concurrently with the delivery of the financial statements referred to in subsections 6.01(a) and (b).
SECTION 3. Representations of Company. The Company represents and warrants that (i) the representations and warranties of the Company set forth in Article 5 of the Agreement will be true on and as of the Amendment Effective Date and (ii) no Default or Event of Default will have occurred and be continuing on such date.
SECTION 4. Governing Law. This Amendment shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.
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SECTION 5. Counterparts. This Amendment may be signed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be an original, with the same effect as if the signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument.
SECTION 6. Effectiveness. This Amendment shall become effective as of the date hereof on the date (Amendment Effective Date) when the Agent shall have received from each of the Company and the Majority Banks a counterpart hereof signed by such party or facsimile or other written confirmation (in form satisfactory to the Agent) that such party has signed a counterpart hereof.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Amendment to be duly executed as of the date first above written.
| GENERAL MILLS, INC. | |
| By: | /s/ Daralyn B. Peifer |
| Name: Daralyn B. Peifer | |
| Title: Vice President, Treasurer | |
| JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A. as Administrative Agent and as a Bank | |
| By: | /s/ Tony Yung |
| Name Tony Yung | |
| Title: Vice President | |
| CITIBANK, N.A. | |
| By: | /s/ Kevin A. Ege |
| Name: Kevin A. Ege | |
| Title: Vice President | |
| BANK OF AMERICA, N.A. | |
| By: | /s/ David L. Catherall |
| Name: David L. Catherall | |
| Title: Senior Vice President |
| BARCLAYS BANK PLC | |
| By: | /s/ Nicholas Bell |
| Name: Nicholas Bell | |
| Title: Director | |
| DEUTSCHE BANK AG NEW YORK BRANCH | |
| By: | /s/ Heidi Sandquist |
| Name: Heidi Sandquist | |
| Title: Vice President | |
| By: | /s/ Ming K. Chu |
| Name: Ming K. Chu | |
| Title: Vice President | |
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| WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION | |
| By: | /s/ Allison S. Gelfman |
| Name: Allison S. Gelfman | |
| Title: Vice President | |
| CALYON NEW YORK BRANCH | |
| By: | /s/ Blake Wright |
| Name: Blake Wright | |
| Title: Managing Director | |
| By: | /s/ Greg Hennenfent |
| Name: Greg Hennenfent | |
| Title: Director | |
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| CREDIT SUISSE FIRST BOSTON | |
| By: | /s/ Karl Studer |
| Name: Karl Studer | |
| Title: Director | |
| By: | /s/ Petra Jack |
| Name: Petra Jack | |
| Title: Assistant Vice President | |
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| LEHMAN BROTHERS COMMERCIAL BANK | |
| By: | /s/ Brian McNany |
| Name: Brian McNany | |
| Title: Authorized Signatory | |
| MERRILL LYNCH BANK USA | |
| By: | /s/ Louis Alder |
| Name: Louis Alder | |
| Title: Director | |
| MORGAN STANLEY BANK | |
| By: | /s/ Daniel Twenge |
| Name: Daniel Twenge | |
| Title: Authorized Signatory |
| THE BANK OF TOKYO-MITSUBISHI UFJ, LTD. | |
| By: | /s/ Victor Pierzchalski |
| Name: Victor Pierzchalski | |
| Title: Vice President & Manager | |
| U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION | |
| By: | /s/ Karen Weathers |
| Name: Karen Weathers | |
| Title: Vice President | |
| WILLIAM STREET COMMITMENT CORPORATION (Recourse only to assets of William Street Commitment Corporation) | |
| By: | /s/ Mark Walton |
| Name: | |
| Title: | |
| BNP PARIBAS | |
| By: | /s/ Jo Ellen Bender |
| Name: Jo Ellen Bender | |
| Title: Managing Director | |
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| /s/ Nader Tannous |
| Name: Nader Tannous | |
| Title: Director | |
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| MELLON BANK, N.A. | |
| By: | /s/ John T. Smathers |
| Name: John T. Smathers | |
| Title: First Vice President | |
| MIZUHO CORPORATE BANK, LTD. | |
| By: | /s/ Raymond Ventura |
| Name: Raymond Ventura | |
| Title: Deputy General Manager | |
| COOPERATIEVE CENTRALE RAIFFEISEN-BOERENLEENBANK B.A., | |
| By: |
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| Name: | |
| Title: | |
| SUMITOMO MITSUI BANKING CORPORATION | |
| By: | /s/ Yoshihiro Hyakutome |
| Name: Yoshihiro Hyakutome | |
| Title: General Manager | |
| SUNTRUST BANK | |
| By: |
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| Name: | |
| Title: |
| THE BANK OF NEW YORK | |
| By: | /s/ John T. Smathers |
| Name: John T. Smathers | |
| Title: Vice President | |
| ABN AMRO BANK N.V. | |
| By: | /s/ Alex Blodi |
| Name: Alex Blodi | |
| Title: Managing Director | |
| By: | /s/ Marc Brondyke |
| Name: Marc Brondyke | |
| Title: Associate | |
| AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED | |
| By: |
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| Name: | |
| Title: | |
| BANCO SANTANDER CENTRAL HISPANO, S.A. | |
| By: |
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| Name: | |
| Title: |
| NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK | |
| By: | /s/ Courtney Cloe |
| Name: Courtney Cloe | |
| Title: Director | |
| ROYAL BANK OF CANADA | |
| By: |
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| Name: | |
| Title: | |
| SOCIETE GENERALE | |
| By: | /s/ Kimberly A. Metzger |
| Name: Kimberly A. Metzger | |
| Title: Director | |
| STANDARD CHARTERED BANK | |
| By: | /s/ John S. Hutchins |
| Name: John S. Hutchins | |
| Title: Managing Director | |
| WACHOVIA BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION | |
| By: |
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| Name: | |
| Title: |